The insurance "problem child" of my vehicle fleet is due for renewal, my historic mobile crane, and it has always been difficult to find anyone who will even quote for it.

Based on the positive feedback for A-Plan on this forum I gave the guys at Thatcham a call and they have not only sorted me out but actually made it seem easy! This for a 12-tonne, rear-wheel-steer, "special types" vehicle, about as oddball as you can get!

So well done and my thanks to A-Plan, and on the basis of the very pleasant experience I have had today I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending them.

What’s the lift rated at, Looks like it would lift most things!
Just out of interest, Does it have to have a LOLER test?80" 80" 86" 88" 90"

Wanted, Forward Control Anything considered.

11th Aug 2018 3:52pm

discomog

Member Since: 09 May 2015
Location: Notts/Lincs Border
Posts: 1248

My understanding is that LOLAR 1998 only applies to work places and would not apply to lifting equipment which is being used privately.Santorini 90XS SW
Discovery Sport
Morgan Plus 8

11th Aug 2018 9:05pm

A-Plan InsuranceSite Sponsor

Member Since: 30 Oct 2013
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 211

Re: Thank you, A-Plan Thatcham!

blackwolf wrote:

The insurance "problem child" of my vehicle fleet is due for renewal, my historic mobile crane, and it has always been difficult to find anyone who will even quote for it.

Based on the positive feedback for A-Plan on this forum I gave the guys at Thatcham a call and they have not only sorted me out but actually made it seem easy! This for a 12-tonne, rear-wheel-steer, "special types" vehicle, about as oddball as you can get!

So well done and my thanks to A-Plan, and on the basis of the very pleasant experience I have had today I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending them.

Thank you blackwolf! Could you pm me your name and post code so I can pass on the thanks to the relevant team members?

Carlie A-Plan Insurance
Call us on 01635 874646 for a quotation Click Here

13th Aug 2018 9:38am

blackwolf

Member Since: 03 Nov 2009
Location: South West England
Posts: 9062

ian series 1 wrote:

What’s the lift rated at, Looks like it would lift most things!
Just out of interest, Does it have to have a LOLER test?

Max lift is six tons with the hook 5' or less from the front of the crane. The jib extends to a max of 18' from front of crane at which the max lift is 1.1/4 tons. Max height of lift is 21'6" (max 3 tons) on main hook, or 26' (max 2.1/2 tons) on the searcher hook. The jib can slew 10' either side of the centreline of the crane, which clearly affects the max height of lift and max load.

If used commercially, the crane would come under LOLER and PUWER regs., etc, just like any other lifting equipment from jacks to tower cranes, engine hoists to telehandlers, etc. Similarly for any loose tackle used with the crane, such as shackles, chains, slings, ropes, eyebolts, etc. (In fact if you have a company Defender, I believe that the jack in the toolkit is subject to LOLER since it is company-provided lifting equipment).

Used privately by the owner, a crane is not subject to any particular regulations nor inspection regime, and you are quite at liberty to be incredibly stupid and kill yourself if you want to! Although technically I don't need to, I get all of my lifting equipment and inspected in accordance with LOLER by an accredited competent person, mainly for peace of mind.

The crane is road-legal under the Special Types regulations, under which it is actually classed as "Engineering Plant" (surprisingly it isn't actually a "Mobile Crane" due to the very precise definitions of the Special Types regs). Since it weighs around 12 tons, the driver requires a Class C licence. It has a top speed of around 10 mph, which with no suspension and rear wheel steering is quite fast enough! Also since it is "Engineering Plant" it is MoT (or rather HGV) test exempt, which is a good thing since driving it to the nearest test centre would take the better part of a day!

I have owned it for about 10 years now, and effectively am its second owner from delivery in 1961. It was new to a Royal Ordnance Factory where it spent its entire working life until being cast when the factory closed (which was quite interesting since it had to be officially decontaminated before sale to make sure that no traces of RDX or other explosive residues were present), and it has does fewer than 4500 miles from new. I bought it partly because I like old machinery, I had the opportunity, the price was right, and it seemed an interesting and unusual thing to own, and partly because I am (very slowly) restoring a much bigger and older crane which I also own, and I needed some means of lifting some of the larger parts of that.

13th Aug 2018 10:00am

ian series 1

Member Since: 17 Nov 2014
Location: south
Posts: 3125

Interesting

I only ask, as 90% of our work fleet have to have a LOLER test, I am currently going through the inspection course so I can LOLER our own kit “in house”

The guy that’s doing the training did mention that the HSSE wanting it rolled out on to privately owned machines too,
But the policing will be too difficult, as to who declares ownership etc?

It sounds Just like a load more red tape, and meddling for HSSE at the end of the day,
Trying to stop ordinary folk going about their Business! roll:80" 80" 86" 88" 90"

Wanted, Forward Control Anything considered.

13th Aug 2018 10:49am

blackwolf

Member Since: 03 Nov 2009
Location: South West England
Posts: 9062

That is interesting and rather disturbing, and sadly all too typical of the appalling low calibre of current legislators.

You are probably aware that recently there have been significant changes in the HGV test regulations with the result that several categories of vehicle that were previously test-exempt are now no longer exempt, one category being mobile cranes.

The rationale behind that changes was that many Special Types vehicles which were exempt were actually based on normal lorry chassis, and therefore were eminently testable. However in a manner which has now become only too typical the regulations were so incompetently drafted that some vehicles which really are not sensibly testable now fall into the regs (a fact which is causing some anguish in historic military vehicle circles). Fortunately, although mobile cranes are no longer exempt, engineering plant still is, for now at least. Realistically if I had to MoT the Fairy I would have to low-loader it to the test centre. In practice it simply means it would have to be SORNed for ever.

Can you imagine turning up at your local HGV test centre in something like one of Aiscough's 1000 ton mobile cranes? Madness, and surely not what was intended!

If LOLER was extended to privately owned and operated kit it wouldn't bother me too much since I work to those standards anyway, but it would add to the cost. I can't really see it happening however since it would be virtually impossible to enforce. I wonder how long before an inspection of your car jack is included in the MoT, and safe operation of the jack is part of the driving test (now that would get a lot of drivers off the road)!

13th Aug 2018 11:26am

ian series 1

Member Since: 17 Nov 2014
Location: south
Posts: 3125

Quote,

You are probably aware that recently there have been significant changes in the HGV test regulations?

Yes, one of our older HGV access platforms has fallen into this test category ( in effect it has always been classed as a mobile lift/crane) there seems to be so much to take in now,
Everything is forever changing, and not always for the better!

It must be so frustrating for the Classic military guys, when we see some of theses roll up at the shows, like Dorset it makes you appreciate how much they put into their hobby, the general public don’t see that side.